FOIA Beginning

Bush Library to Begin Accepting FOIA Requests January 20

DALLAS (1/17/14) – The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum will begin accepting Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for presidential records from the Bush presidency beginning at 12:01 a.m. CST on January 20.

Access to the Bush presidential records is governed by the Presidential Records Act (PRA) of 1978 which says, among other provisions, that records may be requested by the public five years after the end of a presidential administration - for the administration of George W. Bush, that date is January 20, 2014.

Any individual – regardless of citizenship – as well as organizations, companies, and state and local governments will be able to submit FOIA requests.

All requests must be in a written format (e-mail, mail, or fax) and must state that the records are being requested under the “Freedom of Information Act” or “FOIA.” If you are e-mailing your request please include your name in the subject line.

January 20 will be the first day the Bush Library can accept FOIA requests for records pertaining to the Bush presidency and all FOIA requests will be processed in the order in which they are received.

Incoming requests will be placed in a queue - and requestors should note that, given the laws and regulations, the volume and complexity of presidential records, and the process of making materials available, the process will take time.

“Still, the Library remains committed to providing access to our holdings and will make every effort to provide records in a timely manner,” said Alan Lowe, the director of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.

“This is an exciting and important event in the life of the Bush Presidential Library and Museum,” he added. “Our dedicated staff stands ready to respond to requests and to provide our customers with invaluable information about a tremendously consequential time in our nation’s history.”

Located on the campus of SMU – which is a nationally ranked private university in Dallas enrolling nearly 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students from throughout the world in seven degree-granting schools – the facility is the 13th Presidential Library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration.

To learn more about the Freedom of Information Act and the Presidential Records Act of 1978 please go to www.archives.gov, and for more information on this story please e-mail bush43media@nara.gov.

Learn more about the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum - the facility, its staff, its partnerships, how to contact us, how to support or volunteer, its laws and regulations, and the National Archives and Records Administration.